Furnace Issues to Be Aware Of

The weather is starting to heat up, but we probably have a few days of cold weather left before all of us switch entirely over to air conditioning for the season. As long as you’re still using your furnace, you need to be aware of possible problems it can run into. If you know what to look for, you should be able to identify warning signs of a furnace issue and have it repaired before it can do any real damage. Have a look at some of the signs that your furnace is in bad shape, and when you should call for repairs.

Dropping Heating Output

It’s never a good thing to have your heater suddenly start to lose output capacity. If this is happening with your furnace, it’s a sure sign that something isn’t right with the system. If the furnace doesn’t seem to be circulating as much air as it should be, then you might have a problem with the air handler. That’s the part responsible for actually blowing air throughout the ducts while the furnace is on. It’s also possible that your air filter is clogged. A clogged air filter will block most of the air in the ducts from entering the furnace, which means it won’t be heated and won’t be circulated.

Short Cycling

Short cycling is a behavior where the furnace keeps turning itself on and off without actually completing a full heating cycle. While this may seem like a minor issue, it actually has the potential to cause serious harm to the system. Short cycling lowers the furnace’s heating ability, since it need to actually complete heating cycles to reach its full potential. However, it also increases the rate at which the system wears down. A furnace that is allowed to short cycle will become more and more likely to develop issues, and can even have its lifespan shortened by a number of years. Make sure you call for repairs if you notice your system doing this.

Odd Noises

You probably know what your furnace is supposed to sound like, assuming you’ve had it for a while. If you start to notice your system making unusual noises while it’s operating, you should have a professional technician take a look at it as soon as possible. Odd noises can indicate all kinds of furnace issues, and it’s impossible to tell for certain what the problem is without professional training. Since you can’t tell how severe a problem is just by listening to it, the best thing to do is have it dealt with quickly. It’s possible that you just need to get your burner assembly cleaned out, or it’s possible that you may need to have a whole section of the system replaced. The faster you call for repairs, that faster you’ll be able to find out.